


Soul of Steel (A Disney Descendants AU)

by Erin_Aras



Category: Descendants (2015)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-07
Updated: 2016-05-13
Packaged: 2018-05-18 12:37:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5928805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Erin_Aras/pseuds/Erin_Aras
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world very different from ours, certain individuals are born with an incredible ability: the power to summon an Oversoul, a being capable of feats of great physical strength, the ability to harness energy and power and reform it into most anything they so please, or great knowledge and technical skill that extends beyond our comprehension and sometimes even our reality. There are legends and fairytales that speak of these mighty heroes, although modern science has yet to find an explanation for this power. There is no single word to describe these strange people, and instead, they simply go by the term 'Steel Souls'. </p><p>After the Wrath, a dark, dark time of destruction wreaked by Maleficent herself, the soon to-be king of Lumania, Prince Ben, has decided on a proclamation: to release four teens from the depths of the underground cave system known as Penumbra, with the headstrong belief that they can, and will, change their ways. However, the four have other plans. To get the shattered pieces of the Jade Inferno to Maleficent, so she can once again stir up chaos aboveground, and to prove their worth to their parents.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prelude - Lux

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Descendants AU: Soul of Steel](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/174337) by ruff writes stuff. 



         _How hard could it be?_ Was his initial,  _very_ naive thought. Then, succeeding it:  _Very, very, hard._ His gray-blue gaze sidled over to one of the two floor to ceiling windows in his spacious - but cluttered- room, and he let out a muffled sigh as he caught sight of a patrol of soldiers marching stoically and steadily around the titanium glass dome encircling the entrance to Penumbra, a labyrinthine mess of caves that made up a prison for the Villains of the Wrath, as well as their children. The young prince let his eyes graze over the whole of his kingdom, which was still struggling to make a comeback after the Wrath. 

        He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists harshly. The Wrath. Eighteen years of war after war, demolished city after demolished city, and  _death upon death upon death._

A sharp turn of his head by the tailor- or more precisely the tailor's Oversoul, Velvet Scar, a faerie that had a gruesome scar upon her tiny face and a shocking pair of beautiful butterfly wings- made him turn forward once more. How the bumbling, stick-like man could possibly be a Steel Soul befuddled him. It took all of his willpower not to return his glance to his window as his thoughts trailed once more to the almost-proclamation that was stuck in his head like an annoying song. Desperate to keep his eyes trained on something other than the Penumbra Portal- the official name for it- he blinked at the tiny fairy that had flitted onto his shoulder and was perched atop it, swinging her legs. "Prince Ben, please stay still, so my Master can finish his measurements," she chirped, and Ben nodded.

         _Steel Souls._ The boy thought.  _People like us, but not. Humans who are not human and can summon mythical and legendary creatures called Oversouls._

         "How is it possible that you're going to be crowned King next week?" Ben's meandering gaze turned towards his broad-shouldered father, King Beast, and his petite mother, Queen Belle. His trademark, blinding bright white smile bloomed across his face. "You're a just a baby."

        "He's turning sixteen soon, dear," Ben's mother chimed in, and although her voice was much gentler and serene than his father's booming timbre, it was still as authoritative. 

        "Hey, pops," Ben greeted his father and tugged uncomfortably at the sleeves of his jacket, which caused the tailor to click his tongue in a disapproving way, and Belle picked up a coat from the foosball table and brushed off the inconceivable layer of dust on it. 

        "Sixteen? That's far too young to be crowned king. I didn't make a good decision until I was at least forty-two." Belle rolled her eyes and her husband, initiating a chuckle from their son. 

        "You decided to marry me at twenty eight." 

        "Well, it was either you or the teapot." Ben laughed loudly when his father shot him a wink, and he recalled the kind face of the stoutly woman who taught a cooking elective at another one of Lumania's prestigious schools, Kepsiam High. Belle shook her head, feigning annoyance. As silence fell upon the room, Ben drew his shoulders up, trying to push down the anxiety that had settled in the pit of his stomach, and he took a breath, preparing himself. 

        "Mom, Dad," Ben began guardedly and took a step forward, but the tailor stopped him, tugging on the hem of his pants leg, beckoning him to stay on the pedestal. "I've chosen my first official proclamation." Belle drew in a sharp breath, and exchanged a proud glance with Adam.  _Here goes nothing._

        "I've decided that the children in Penumbra should be given a chance to come and live with us, here in Lumania." The coat that Belle had been holding was discarded onto the cluttered floor as she let out a slight whimper, and Adam was paralyzed, mouth open in shock. Stepping forward quickly, too abruptly for the tailor to hold him back, Ben folded his hands behind his back, trying his best to look as official as possible. "Every time I look out at that dome, I feel like they're being abandoned." 

        Adam pulled his hand out of his pocket slowly, dropping his fatherly demeanor and pointing out the window, a strange combination of placidity and fury creasing his forehead. "Ben, listen to me now, and listen well. I know you hadn't been born yet, but haven't you learned enough about the Wrath to reali-" 

        "I know that, Dad! I've heard the stories, seen the aftermath,  _felt the people's sorrow_." He drew in another deep breath. "But the villains' children are innocent! And besides," Ben paused, feeling a bit sheepish. "I've already chosen and researched their parents. 

        "Have you now?" King Adam growled, voice alarmingly low, and Ben flinched back, away from his father's commanding aura of power. 

        Queen Belle rested a comforting hand on Adam's arm. "I gave you a second chance," she murmured, and blinked at Ben. "Who are their parents?" Ben couldn't ignore the hint of disappointment in his mother's voice, and he had to fight back the urge to give up, to make another proclamation, one less life threatening than the one he had just suggested. 

        "Cruella di Vil, Jafar, Evil Queen..." Ben steadied himself, for he knew how his parents would react to the last name. "And Maleficent." Velvet Scar, which had flown up atop Ben's head, immediately stumbled back and would have fallen, if not the sudden flap of her wings. 

        "Son," King Adam began. "What has gotten into you?" Ben bowed his head.  _I knew this wouldn't work._

 _"Two-thirds_ of our population perished in the Wrath, Ben.  _Who's to say the villain's kids won't take out the one third of us still here?"_

        "I'm sorry-" 

        "Apologizing won't make things right!" Rage boiled through Ben's veins. He was going to be crowned  _king_ soon, just like his father had said mere minutes before the argument had begun. He deserved to make his own choices now. 

        "The children are innocent! And, by the way,  _I_ say that they  _won't_ kill the rest of us!" The people in the room grew silent, and Ben realized that the tailor and his Oversoul had left. King Adam grunted wordlessly, and Queen Belle grimaced, smiling pitifully at Ben. 

        "We'll think about it," she said.

        

 


	2. Prelude - Tenebris

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lux - Light  
> Tenebris - Dark  
> (Latin)

**[Song Setting - Novocaine by Fall Out Boy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjtNPyVwMps) (I suggest that you listen to this song while you read!)**

A great distance away from Lumania Castle stood a large dome, which looked as if it is made of glass, but in reality, was made of  _titanium_ enforced glass, and even standing a few feet away from the structure, you would be able to feel the chill from the interior. Stepping inside the dome, the frigid air would finally make its effect, and seep into your skin, even if you were wearing multiple layers of warm clothing. (The freezing temperature is yet another measure of security that the government installed in the dome.) If you walked along a frosty trail, hidden, high-tech guns at the ready in case of an emergency, you would see an even narrower downward spiraling path surrounded by rocky crags, and at the bottom, a closed in entryway to nothing but darkness. If you didn't know any better, you would _think_ that there would be nothing but pitch black emptiness at the end of the path, but you would be dead wrong. 

        A twisting, confounding tangle of cave systems would await you, nearly like an underground lair in some kind of old, black-and-white superhero movie. The people dwelling in the caves would have no knowledge of the outside world.

* * *

        In one of the main caves, near the center of the infamous Penumbra, stood a fair-skinned, violet haired girl, an emptied cigarette in her right hand, and a can of green paint the color of seafoam in her other hand. She bit her lip and tilted her head at the standard Penumbra dwelling that had been cut out of an onyx crystal. After shaking the can of paint, she smirked and prepared the outline for her drawing. As her hand moved steadily through the air, finishing the words  _Semper Malum,_ she nearly lost her concentration as she felt something being plucked from her back pocket. Her lighter. 

        "Jay," she blew out an irritated breath as the con artist chuckled under his breath. 

        "It just seemed like a prime opportunity for some stealing. You would do the same if  _I_ was the one in zen mode, right, Mal?" 

        "I was not in fucking  _zen_ mode, Jay. That's some Lumania bs. I was just thinking." The long-haired boy made a humming sound deep in his throat and leaned against the wall next to Mal, his eyes twinkling with sardonic humor. 

        "Oh. I see Evie." Mal followed Jay's gaze towards the blue haired girl, who was strutting down the sidewalk like she owned the world, shooting winks at any guys who happened to stare too long at her. 

        "Hey, guys," the daughter of the Evil Queen greeted, spitting out an azure wad of gum onto the street and cackling when a pimply teenager happened to step in it. 

        "'Sup, E," Mal greeted, and Jay gave her a casual nod, pulling his beanie off of his head and tugging at a dangling, red string. 

        "Give me that," Evie commanded and snatched the hat out of Jay's callused hands. For a moment, he looked as if he was about to protest and lunge for it again, but once Evie shot him a withering glare, he drew back, shoulders slumping ever so slightly. That was something all four of them took pride in; managing to discourage even those who were "close" to them. "I can fix it for twenty bucks." Jay rolled his hazel eyes and patted his empty pockets. He shrugged noncommittally, a half-relieved, half-smug grin on his tan face. 

        "Sorry, I'd need to steal stuff and sell it off for that." 

        "Well, then," Evie placed one hand on her hip. "Guess you're not getting  _this_ sewed back together." She tossed him the cap, and Jay caught it neatly, placing it back on his head. 

        "Hey." All three of the teens turned to see Carlos de Vil come jogging up to them. "Sorry I'm late." Mal sent him a piercing stare. 

        "Never apologize," she snapped, and Carlos nodded. 

        "Right. Not sorry." Mal and Jay rolled their eyes simultaneously, and Evie laughed. "Why did you want us to meet here again?" Mal's smirk melted off of her face. 

        "My mom wanted to talk to u-" 

        The sound of someone very familiar to the gang clearing her throat made them turn around. "Is that the best you can do, sweetie?" Maleficent's cruel but regal voice rang out behind them, and despite her kind words, a lingering tone of arrogance hid behind it, just waiting to leap out at them. Mal toyed with the locket around her neck, with a charm dangling from it in the shape of a snake, which, when opened, would release her Oversoul, Emerald Blaze. 

        "Don't you mean is that the  _worst_ I can do?" Maleficent smiled with closed lips. 

        "That's my nasty little girl." She clapped her hands. "Give me the paint." Mal tossed her the can, and watched as her mother finished the last touch on the 'mural', the left horn of her own headpiece. 

        "I was gonna finish that," Mal muttered, and Maleficent rolled her olive green eyes, tossing the used up spray paint can onto the ground, where it rolled into a gutter and fell into the sewer. 

        "If you ever want to become like me, Mal, you need to really get down to the worst stuff. When I was your age, I was destroying entire kingdoms." The "queen" of Penumbra strolled down the street and towards a darkly majestic, palatial building made of emeralds, which, Mal knew, was their home. Once they entered the dwelling, which was, somehow, even more darker than it was outside, the four returned to their poses, Jay leaning against a wall, Carlos standing, bouncing around awkwardly on the balls of his feet, Evie next to him, one hand on her hip, and Mal right beside her mother.  _This is how everything should be,_ she thought for one blissful moment. 

        "Oh, yes. That's right," All of the villain kids glanced up, each wearing identical suspicious looks in their narrowed eyes and terse stances. "You four have been chosen to go to a different school. In  _Lumania_." The way that her mother said the kingdom's name, much like she was spitting in the sidewalk, made chills run up and down Mal's spine, and from the looks on the others faces, she knew that they were just as bothered as Maleficent's hatred as she was. 

        It took about five full seconds for the news to finally dawn on them. 

        Evie let out a small shriek, Carlos dropped the contraption that he had been working on, blatantly not caring when it shattered into pieces on the cold stone floor, and Jay's jaw dropped, not a word coming from his mouth. "Mom," Mal began, a strained chuckle forcing its way up her throat. "This  _can't_ be true. Since when did you become such a good prankster?" Maleficent huffed and examined her freshly filed nails. 

        "I do not commit pranks, I commit murders," her daughter mouthed the last three words along with her, as she knew them by heart from all the times Maleficent had uttered them. Mal straightened her back, trying to conjure up the most commanding pose that she could possibly pull off. 

        "I am  _not_ going to a school full of fucking  _Lumanians._ They," she pointed towards the ceiling. "Are stupid assholes." Mal pointed at her chest. "I am  _not_." 

        "Sweetie, I'm not saying that you are a stupid asshole. This was Prince Benjamin's decision." Maleficent said the unfamiliar name like she was throwing it up. 

        "Neither am I. Those-  _princes_ -" Evie chimed in, with a shudder at the word 'princes', although Mal was sure that it was a good shiver, "are probably losers." 

        "You're asking  _me_ to wear a uniform?  _Me?_ " Jay laughed a cruel, dastardly laugh, the corners of his lips twitching up in a smirk, and he reached over to high-five Carlos, who promptly stepped around him to stand in front of Maleficent. 

        "Does that mean I can kill all of their dogs?" Although his voice held a tone of curiosity, his bright hazel eyes darkened with excitement, and he wrung his hands in such a way that Mal knew that he was already thinking up the blueprints for a new trap. Mal raised an eyebrow at the younger boy, and he bowed his head ever so slightly, realizing his mistake. "Uh... I mean, no, I'm not going!"  _Idiot._

        Just as Mal was about to run out of ideas for comebacks, a sharp knock sounded at the door, and Maleficent grinned her trademark evil grin. "Ah, but there are some people that I know of that can contradict you all." She breezed over to the door, purple cloak flapping behind her, and pulled it open. Evie, Carlos, and Jay groaned in annoyance. It was their parents, the Evil Queen, Cruella de Vil, and Jafar. Once Jafar had closed the door once more, Maleficent led them all to a makeshift throne room, with a throne made up of a large green chair, a refrigerator pressed against the far wall, and a table in the center of the room. 

        "You see, I-" 

        "We!" E. Q chimed in as she played with the collar of Evie's dress, trying to make it as perfect as possible.  _Perfect. Everything has to be_ perfect  _for E. Q._

" _We_ have a task for all four of you. You will go, you  _will_ find the place where the last shard of Jade Inferno is located, and you  _will_ bring it back to me." Excitement bubbled in Mal's stomach despite herself. Although she wasn't technically  _alive_ during the Wrath, her mother had told her many a gruesome story about the awe-inspiring event; of all the horror that Maleficent created, of all the beautiful, wondrous  _destruction._ Mal fingered the black scale that held her Oversoul, Emerald Blaze, and watched as the torchlight reflected off of it, creating that dark greenish hue that she knew so well. In her mind's eye, she pictured Jade Inferno in all of its glory, rising above the land, incinerating city after city. She sighed, wishing that Emerald Blaze could eventually grow to be at least above the height of Mal's head. 

        She didn't think that would happen anytime soon, though. 

        "It's all about my baby girl and I," Maleficent cooed with fake sincerity, blinking down at Mal as she snapped out of her delirious state. "Do you enjoy watching innocent people suffer?" She asked, tilting her head and resting her chin on one hand. 

        "Of course, who doesn't-" 

        "Well then, get me my Oversoul!" Mal was confused; had someone argued against the idea while she dozed off? She made a mental note to not have her head up in the clouds when she was around her mother. "And then, once more, you and I shall be the most powerful beings in the kingdom! We will be able to bend both good and evil to my will!" 

        " _Our_ will!" the Evil Queen corrected once more. Cruella pointed a bony finger at her, and Jafar made a humming sound deep in his throat. Maleficent flicked her hand, as if to shoo her "friends" away. 

        "Yes,  _our_ will." She turned back to Mal. "And if you refuse, I'll make sure that Emerald Blaze doesn't grow one more inch in  _any_ direction." 

        "Wha- Mom!" Maleficent snapped her fingers and her eyes began to glow, as if someone had poured that fluid in glow sticks into them, and Mal's did the same. The others in the room were silent as mother and daughter attempted to stare each other down, and after a few moments, Mal had to flinch away and blink. "Fine, it's not like we had a fucking say in the matter anyway." 

* * *

 

        Evie sat on a chair in the table in the middle of the room, facing her mother. "My little temptress in training," the Evil Queen used her pet name, which made Evie giggle and brush her thumb along the smooth surface of the drachma, which held the spirit of her Oversoul, Sapphire Siren, within it. "You just find yourself a prince with a big castle and a mother in-law wing..."

        "And lots and lots of mirrors!" They said in unison, and Evie giggled once more. If she had to be frank, Evie didn't care about all the reflecting crystals cutting off their link to their Oversouls everywhere she turned. _As long as I have_ some form  _of Sapphi, I'll be okay,_ she thought. Although the mermaid like creature wasn't able to appear in her strongest form yet, her master knew that once she was aboveground, living in Lumania, she would be able to have any man or boy on his knees, bowing in front of her. So, naturally, the chance to do just that- to finally experience her full potential as a princess- was almost as alluring as her Oversoul's voice. 

       "No laughing! Wrinkles!" Evil Queen warned, and Evie's smile melted off of her face as quickly as it had appeared there.

* * *

        "Oh, well, they're not taking _my_ Carlos, because I'd miss him too much," Cruella said with a pout as she brushed Carlos' cheek with one hand.

        "Really, mom?" Carlos felt as if he was standing on the edge of a cliff, waiting for his mother's response. This was it. The moment that would show him whether someone on this planet really, _truly_ cared about him. 

        "Yes!" He took one step back from the edge. "Who would touch up my roots, fluff my furs, create contraptions to kill to  _get_ more fur?" He took a running start and flew right off of the edge. 

        "Maybe a new school wouldn't be the worst thing." Cruella snarled and stood up, anger scrunching her features up until she looked like a goblin, which, Carlos had decided, she was. 

        "Carlos, they have  _dogs_ in Lumania." Carlos' eyes widened and he felt his pulse quicken. He couldn't  _stand_ dogs, he hated them,  _despised_ them, and had the biggest fear of them. 

        "Oh, no, I'm not going."  _Stop it, de Vil. You_ are  _going. No one cares about you here, but maybe they will up there?_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I cried while writing Carlos' part. Leave a Kudos if you did, too. Also, the reason why I didn't write Jay's POV is because I didn't really feel like anything more could be said for him, but he WILL play a much more major role in this fanfic than he did in the movie)


	3. Contra Principium

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter is Latin, and can literally be translated into: against (contra) source (principium). Try and guess why I decided to use those particular words, and comment your guesses.
> 
> Also, the chapters in this fanfic will all have Latin titles corresponding to their events.
> 
> ALSO, I hope you guys liked bad-ass Carlos. He deserves it, in my opinion. (I got the inspiration for the number format at the end of the chapter from Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi.)

[ **Song Setting: Viva la Vida by Coldplay** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvgZkm1xWPE)

       As soon as Mal stepped out into the main cave, a raggedy black suitcase in hand, her eyes flickered towards a sleek, jet black...  _machine._ She had never seen anything like it before, and when she turned to see the others' reactions, Mal couldn't help but to bark out a sardonic laugh. Evie's left eyebrow was tweaked up in surprise, and Mal could tell that she was itching to step into the thing. It looked like it was made for royalty, which, it probably  _was_ , until today. Carlos's eyes were lit up with excitement, and he was playing with the key that hung on a bracelet around his left wrist that held his Oversoul, Tin Knight. She flinched as her eyes trailed to his right wrist, where a metal lock was implanted into the skin, surrounded by pale, scarred flesh. After one of his many beatings issued by Cruella, Carlos had asked for Evie's help to graft it into his arm. 

        The story that they had both told a few days later included Sapphire Siren having to sing to hinder Carlos' pain during the 'surgery'. He also said he did it to hide the scars.

        Jay's greedy gaze had turned towards the silver crown that sat atop the front of the machine, and his fingers twitched, no doubt itching to steal the shimmering decoration. Mal hoped he wouldn't be as stupid as to steal it in front of all of the onlookers that were currently watching with narrowed eyes. Mal looked up sharply as a man with sunglasses on,  _Who wears sunglasses in a goddamn cave?,_ spoke into a miniature radio attached to his perfectly ironed collar, and opened the door for the four of them. Mal, of course, was the first one into the machine, and she gazed around in wonder. The seats were made of soft leather that was cool to the touch, and there was a small-scale television screen that was smashed into the corner, and a cupboard of brightly colored things in clear glass jars. 

        Carlos and Jay exchanged devious smirks, and in the next instant, they were both diving towards the things that Mal had identified as food, shoving the stuff into their mouths greedily. Mal jumped as a faint purring sound surrounded them, and the thing began to move. 

        "It's a limousine, Mal," Carlos said, voice muffled with the food in his mouth. "Don't be  _too_ freaked out." The purple-haired girl rolled her brilliant green eyes and leaned against the back of the seat, twisting her lips into a crude frown. Ideas on how they would possibly be able to get the shard of Jade Inferno were already hurrying through her mind, and Mal was eliminating most of them once they had occurred to her. Her frown deepened when she realized that  _they didn't even know where the freaking thing was._

        "You're looking a little washed-out," Evie's fluid voice floated past her ears, causing Mal to glance over at the other girl. She didn't realize that Evie was going to actually try and put  _makeup_ on her until it was already happening, and she shoved Evie's hand away from her face. 

        "Hell no, E," Mal puckered her lips as she tried to think of a Plan G. "I'm plotting." 

        Evie pouted and she twisted a strange rock-like thing on a stick around and around in her fingers, until she finally brought it to her mouth tentatively. "Well, it's not very attractive." She bit into the blue candy and Mal smirked as she flinched back in surprise at the texture of it.

* * *

 

        Jay turned to Carlos as he was elbowed by the younger boy. "These! It's salty like nuts, but sweet like I don't know what." Jay rolled his eyes at Carlos' excitement.

        "What are you still eating that? It could be poisoned."

        "But it's _so_ good!" the black-and-white haired boy shoveled the other half of the thing into his mouth, and Jay chuckled. 

        "I will laugh if you suddenly collapse right here in this limo." 

        "Thanks, bud. Means a lot," Carlos mumbled through the food, and Jay felt a splash of warmth in his chest, like someone had doused him in hot water. He wasn't exactly sure what it was, but he was curious about it. _Maybe I'll figure it out soon._

Suddenly, Evie let out an ear-piercing shriek, and Carlos instinctively shot up, and Jay could see the muscles in his arms tensing up. Jay liked that, the way that Carlos would instantly do whatever it took to protect them, no matter where they were, no matter what the situation, it was a given. "Guys..." the fair-skinned girl raised a trembling finger towards the entrance to the caves, and Jay's heart shrunk to the size of a pea, not that he would ever admit that he ever felt that scared. 

        In front of the car, the cave entrance and exit was barely tall and wide enough for  _Carlos_ to fit through; no way in  _hell_ would the whole limo be able to get through there! As the four teens turned to stare out of the window in alarm, there was beeping noise in their part of the car, and suddenly, vivid golden and bronze sparks flowed around the opening, and the sparkles formed images in the shape of hands. Slowly but surely, the spark-hands were pulling the cave entrance wider and taller. 

        "What the fuck..." Jay muttered under his breath, and he nearly jumped in surprise as Mal pounded on the window that separated the driver from the rest of the car's inhabitants. 

        "Did this button," she asked as soon as the window was rolled down. "Just do," Mal waved a hand at the cave opening. " _That_?" The man shook his head, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips, which Jay found irking, although he knew that he often had that exact same look on his face most of the time. 

        "No." He held up another similar button that was on a plain black remote. "This one widens the Portal."  _Portal?_ Jay wondered.  _Sounds like some more magic shit._ "That one opens my garage." The man pressed a button that was on his side of the car. "And  _this_ one..." He paused, and the window closed once more. 

        " _Okay_ ," Mal said, obviously frustrated, but also slightly impressed, Jay observed. "Savage. I like that guy." Bright light began to pour in from the entrance of Penumbra, and Jay cringed, shielding his eyes with one hand, the others doing the same. Despite the protection over his vision, Jay was still momentarily blinded by the intense light of the sun that streamed into... wherever they were. He noticed that the car had slowed the instant that they had exited Penumbra and curiosity bubbled in him. 

        "Holy  _shit_ ," Carlos whispered, awe-struck, and Jay uncovered his eyes, blinking against the harsh light. The path that the limo was traveling on was serpentine, curving around and around, and it was surrounded by boulders and dead shrubs and trees. 

        The cold took a bit longer to set in than the sights, and when it did, Jay swore under his breath. "Damn, it's  _freezing_!" He commented, and Evie huffed at him, flipping her hair over her shoulder with one hand, the other hugging her shoulders as she tried to maintain her body temperature. 

        "No shit," she retorted, and Jay glared at her. He didn't really think that now was a good time to be arguing. From his side, Carlos hissed in what sounded like a mixture of pain and rage, and Jay frowned, glancing at him. 

        "What's up?" 

        "Weapons. They're all around. I can feel them." The younger boy shut his eyes, his long eyelashes fluttering, and Jay gulped, biting his lower lip. He had to admit, Carlos looked-

* * *

        " _Duck_!" Mal screeched, and Carlos instantly dropped to the floor, covering his head as the left window shattered, showering glass shards onto them. Carlos snarled as a piece of it slashed into the flesh of his thigh, and he rolled the other way as the car jerked, causing whatever had broken the window to fly into the  _other_ one, smashing that one to smithereens as well. Evie shrieked. 

        " _Evie!"_ Carlos shouted, and he silently cursed himself for acting so irrationally as he stumbled over to the blue-haired girl. His heart dropped into his knees as his eyes fell upon the huge fragment of glass that had embedded itself into the skin of her back, digging all the way underneath her cloak and dress, leaving blood to stain her dark clothes, turning them even darker if possible. His hands flitted about, like they did when he was working on a project back home, but deep down, he knew that he couldn't pull it out, unless he wanted his "sister" to bleed out. 

        "Hey! Driver! What the hell is going on?!" Mal's voice rose above the clamor, but the window did not budge so much as an inch. 

        A tear splashed onto Carlos' cheek, but not a moment later, he swiped it away with the back of his hand. He could  _not_ lose Evie the mere moment they exited their home to go to a new one. 

        He couldn't and he  _wouldn't let it happen._

        No hesitation. 

        1 bracelet on his left hand. 

        1 lock in his right wrist. 

        1 Oversoul. 

        4 lives would be saved. 

 


	4. Rebellatis Anima

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rebellatis - Rebel  
> Anima - Soul

**[Song Setting: Lightsaber by EXO](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5L1NLUj5rE) **

       A faint click sounded in Carlos's ear as he unlocked his Oversoul (literally). Sometimes his wrist and lower arm still ached, especially during the winter, when the caves were particularly cold. And now it seemed to hurt more than ever. But he refused to acknowledge it, instead letting his thoughts stream into his Oversoul-

        "What the..." This was not his Oversoul in front of him, Carlos realized. Or, more precisely, it _was,_  albeit with so much more strength and determination radiating from its small, tin body. Back in Penumbra, every time that Carlos would call on Tin Knight to assist with projects, it looked hollow, like an empty soda can that someone had thrown on the street. 

        "Master, what's the plan?" Even its _voice_ sounded rejuvenated, and Carlos theorized that it must have been the sudden shift of not being able to use magic whatsoever, to a near unlimited supply of it. 

        "Use whatever you can to make a shield around the vehicle," Carlos barely even thought about the words as they left his lips, and he hoped that his decisions didn't sound _too_ stupid. 

        "The driver won't be able to see." Wow. It was even giving suggestions now? Carlos couldn't suppress the smirk that pushed its way onto his mouth. 

        "There are machine guns all around us. There's no way we can only put defenses on one side. And since the road is curved the front will be susceptible to attack at literally every turn." Something inside of Carlos nagged at him, as if trying to disprove him, but the tech whiz was determined to do something, and immediately. 

        "Master..." Tin Knight's voice wavered with something that sounded like worry, and Carlos' first thought was that Evie was gone. He immediately dropped his gaze to where the blue-haired girl was still lying, nearly motionless, if not for the faint rise and fall of her chest, and he breathed a sigh of relief. 

        "Don't worry, Evie. We're almost out of this hell," he murmured, but that tugging sensation in his gut, that he was not seeing the bigger picture to all of this chaos, still lingered in the pit of his stomach. 

        "Master, it's not Evie nor the machine guns that we should be worried about," Tin Knight murmured quietly. 

        _Hell no._

_"It's that we're being defended instead of attacked."_

Carlos and Tin Knight both jumped and tensed as Mal laughed sharply, her timbre not at all humored. "And why do you suppose that, O smart Knight?" She asked dryly, but he did not respond to her, instead turning towards Carlos, who was in shock. 

        That's what he had been feeling. The weapons had been aimed at them, but, he realized, nearly half of the guns that were hidden among the boulders and rocky crags were pointed at the ones that were going haywire and firing at the limo. 

        "The system is fighting against itself?" Carlos mused, and Mal shook her head, frown lines furrowing the corners of her mouth. 

        "No. That's not logical. But something else is attacking 'the system'." She made air quotes and rolled her eyes, before returning to try and do something about Evie's condition. 

        "Hey! Hey, driver, open up the damn window!" Carlos shouted, and after a few heart-wrenching moments, it slid open at a sluggish pace, making one of his fingers twitch in annoyance. 

        "What's going on?" 

        "None of your business, kid." With that, he gunned the engine and they shot through the debris and projectiles. 


	5. Reballatis Anima - Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For those of you that watch or read the anime/manga Fairy Tail, did you catch the reference that I made?

        "The limo should be here by now." Ben glanced over at his father upon hearing the growled words, having to bite his lip to restrain himself from saying a few choice words in response, most of which would include:  _not,_ _their,_ and  _fault_. Needing a distraction to pull his thoughts away from all of the worst-case scenarios that were zipping through his head, Ben squinted down the long cobblestone path that led to Lumania Castle, the place where he would finally meet the children of the villains face to face. 

        Observing his surroundings, however, did absolutely  _nothing_ settle his harried nerves. As King Beast had said, the sleek black vehicle was nowhere in sight, causing Ben to tug at the long sleeves of his coat, a newly developed nervous tic of his. But there was a group of soldiers who were rushing down the street towards them, footfalls rapid and not even close to being in sync, like how they normally would be.  _Something's wrong._

"Aww, boo, what's wrong?" the sickeningly sweet timbre of Ben's girlfriend, Audrey, daughter of Sleeping Beauty, cooed, and he cleared his throat, forcing a "relaxed" smile onto his face. 

        "Nothing, babe." Audrey's pretty smile instantly faded away, and for a mere moment, her eyes flickered down towards her silver anklet that held the heart of her Oversoul, Silk Whisper. The soon to-be prince soon realized his mistake and let a short, cumbersome laugh trickle out of his mouth. Silk Whisper, a pure white female cat with electric blue eyes and wings that allowed it to fly and feathers that could be turned into daggers, also had the powers of telepathy and speech. The telepathy was bestowed onto Audrey whenever Silk Whisper was dormant, and so Ben was sure that Audrey had, by now, picked up on his nervousness. 

        "What are you thinking, Benny-boo?" Audrey asked, her lips forming a small pout. Ben laughed- a real, genuine chuckle- and tilted his head at her. 

        "I'm sure you can answer that question for-" 

        "We're being fired at, sir!" Silence fell upon the civilians, as well as the royalty, that were gathered there, awaiting the dreaded moment that was soon to come, but it was fractured with an almost-snarl from King Beast. 

        "Ready your Oversouls," he ordered, voice terse, and the captain of the patrol, whose name Ben wasn't aware of, nodded, just as tense and serious as his king. 

        After a few more moments of blissful quiet, Oversoul upon Oversoul began to be summoned, each one turning to their master, ready to act upon their command. Ben couldn't help but stare around at the variety of creatures, having only seen a few of them once or twice in the entirety of his life, but Audrey, again, grounded him with a soft squeeze of his arm. But the prince didn't have an Oversoul to call upon. 

         Instead, he shut his eyes, drawing his arms up at a painstakingly slow rate, and bent the air to his will. The gale force winds being whipped up all around him lifted his large frame up into the air, and he lunged forward, flying through the air, eyes scanning the pathway below him. 

         A combustible fusion of determination and fury burned intensely inside of Ben, so much so that he he had to train his mind on keeping him aloft, and not let fire erupt out of his fingertips. He would _not_  let anything happen to those children. He had to prove himself to his father, and Ben didn't care that he was possible endangering himself. 

        _There!_ Finally, Ben skidded to a halt, staring down at the limo that was swerving madly, trying to dodge the- As his brain began to process what his eyes were seeing, he nearly let the gusts of the wind falter around him, dropping a few feet before picking himself back up, well out of harms way. 

        There were bullets firing upon the villain kids' limo. "What the hell?" Ben mumbled to himself. Just as he was about to fly to the rescue like some sort of superhero, he paused, chewing the inside of his cheek. There was no way that he could just appear there without getting some major injuries, unless somehow someone knew he was coming, thus stopping the barrage of attacks on the vehicle. Ben ran a few more scenarios through his mind, before coming to the conclusion that nothing would work except for... 

        "Hold your fire! Stop attacking!" His throat burned as he screamed down towards the ground, zipping towards the limo. 

        "Prince Ben! Prince Ben!" Silk Whisper's voice chimed from above him, and Ben halted, staring up at the Oversoul. "We're not the ones being fired upon!" 

        "I'm well aware of that, so can you please-"

        "The Adversus. They're attacking the VKs." 

          At those words, Ben actually did fall. But not without a plan, albeit an extremely risky one. Power flooded every single cell in his being, and he knew that he was in the _status plenus,_ otherwise known as the 'full state'. His increased eyesight had assisted him in picking out the four gunmen that were stationed around the limo, two running alongside it and the other two at higher vantage points, both on rooftops. 

        As rage built up inside him, Ben kicked his leg out and around to the side, sending a plume of flame sizzling towards the first man on the rooftop. Not bothering to check to see if his shot had landed, Ben directed the ball of air that was surrounding him to drop, avoiding the flurry of gunfire from the other gunman. Ben swept the weapon out of his hands with a blast of wind, and then turned his attention to the other assassins. 

        A breath of relief escaped the prince as he realized that the other two were surrounded by Oversouls who were slowly advancing upon them. They would be dealt with. 

        But the VKs weren't safe yet. Two other black vehicles were racing alongside the limousine, machine guns firmly placed atop their roof, with two rebels behind them. Ben let out a roar of anger and dropped to the ground, slamming his fists to the cobblestone and letting a tremor travel from him to the car on the left, overturning it onto its side. Just as he was about to pivot to deal with the other car, Ben saw the blazing silver of daggers that had been impaled into the wheels of the vehicle, as well as the assassins forehead, leaving a trail of blood on the windshield. 

        Ben looked away from the gruesome sight, flinching. His chest heaved with labored breaths, and pain bloomed from his leg. Reluctantly, he reached down and felt for the wound, hissing in pain as he felt the place where the bullet had hit. Suddenly, the world tilted around him, and Ben fell onto his back, agony exploding from his forehead. 

        **You refused to come to your senses, so we had to do it for you, young prince.**

And then there was darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S. How did you guys like Avatar Benjamin??


	6. Venenatas Radices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Venenatas - poisoned  
> Radices - roots

         Everything had happened so swiftly, the events so freakishly new and frightening, that Mal all but collapsed onto her knees as she exited the limo. She heard a soft gasp from Carlos and he rushed over to her fallen form, kneeling over her, typically bright hazel eyes dull with exhaustion. Using his newly advanced Oversoul nearly to it's fullest extent had obviously drained him, and she was about to protest for him to get himself some medical help, a smirk twitched at the corners of his lips. "The  _Prince_ saved us, Mal. The Prince!" She narrowed her green eyes up at him and got up before anyone could ask if she needed assistance, wondering why in the hell the kid genius would give her such useless information. 

        "So? Why do I need to know this?" Carlos's smirk grew into a grin, and she couldn't help but laugh at him. 

        "We have him around our fingers, Mal. Just think about it." The freckled teen plopped himself down next to her as Jay scrambled out of the limo, nervously catching his bottom lip between his teeth and glancing back to check on Evie from time to time. The unconscious, blue-haired princess was being carried out of the vehicle on a bright yellow stretcher, and Mal couldn't help but feel her heart twinge at the pitiful sight. "Did you _see_ him fight? He's a freaking," Carlos paused, waved his hands around as if gesticulating aimlessly would help him conjure up the word for what he was trying to describe. "Mage or something! And there's no _way_ -" 

        "Make way!" Both Mal and Carlos' heads jerked up at the harsh, abrasive sound of the new person's voice, and Mal stood up, backing away from the epicenter of the chaos. Carlos scrambled up after her and both watched on as Prince Ben was carried in on a stretcher similar to the one Evie had been lain on top of. King Beast and Queen Belle stood to the sides of the gurney, Belle with tears coating her eyes with a glassy sheen and Beast with fists clenched so tight that Mal was surprised his fingers weren't turning the same color as her hair. 

        "He'll fight for us, Mal," Carlos breathed. "Even if it was his idea to bring us here, no way would he fight against his own family and people to save our asses. So the only logical explanation would be-"

        "One," Mal stopped and nodded towards the horde of onlookers and attendants culminated around their Prince, where King Beast was discernibly turning a bright shade of red on the face and shrieking at anyone who tried to help to get away, "judging by the king's reaction to all of this shit, there's no way that Ben could have fought _against_ his own father's side. And two, if he's already gone this far to _save_ us..." An irksome smirk that matched the one spreading across Carlos' lips started to grow on her own. "Just imagine what we can get him to do for us if we just ask for a single _favor_..."

        Before Carlos could respond to her observation, a lanky man with graying light brown hair careened towards the pair, a bored-looking Jay in tow. "You three, please, follow me and I'll show you to your rooms." He cleared his throat and wiped the sweat glistening on his brow with the back of his hand. "Mal, daughter of Maleficent?" 

        "Present."

        "You will be in your own room until Evie recovers from her..." A cough succeeded his talk of Evie, and Mal felt the sudden urge to give this scrawny man a nice, hard punch in the nose, one hopefully strong enough to shatter it. How _dare_ he talk about them like... Like... They were _nothing._ Nothing more than rats in their dank sewers. 

        "Injury?" Carlos added for the man monotonously, as if the very thought of the word 'excited' ceased to exist. _Shit,_ Mal realized as she stared at the freckled teen, noting his drooping eyelids and fatigued, bent over back. _Carlos is_ exhausted _._

"Mal? Mal!" A stinging slap on her arm shattered her concern, or whatever that feeling was; she hoped it was anything _but_ worry, and brought her back to reality. The slim man had halted on the side of the cobblestone walkway, and Carlos stood just behind him. He rolled his eyes at her and mouthed, _I'm fine._ Jay was the one who had pulled her- or more like pushed her- out of her stupefying worries, Mal realized, since his callused hand was still raised, like he was willing to hurt her again even if she needed it or not. 

        "Sorry. I'm coming." 

        

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the shortness of this chapter :P. School has been absolutely crazy lately so I haven't really had time to update. Hope you guys enjoyed nonetheless, and feel free to leave constructive criticism or just some nice reviews in the comments. Thanks again for reading!


	7. Adversus Regula - Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adversus - against  
> Regula - rule
> 
> (PS: Stay tuned until the end of the chapter for an important announcement!!)

        "What were you  _thinking_?" Ben was tempted to respond to whoever had spoken with a sardonic comment somewhere along the lines of: "I don't know, what  _was_ I thinking about while I was knocked out cold, hmm?" 

        "You shouldn't have put yourself at such risk for those excuses for children!" _Okay,_ Ben thought and cracked his eyes open, flinching as the harsh sunlight streamed into his room through his large floor-to-ceiling windows.  _I have_ had  _it._

        "Wanna say that to me again, this time while I'm a..." The young Prince could feel his throat constricting as he realized that King Beast was the one to whom the enraged voice belonged to, and he knew that he had made a grave mistake. 

        King Adam heaved a contemplative sigh and lowered himself carefully onto the edge of Ben's mattress, shaking his head. "Son... we might need to rethink this." At his father's words, something deep inside of him strengthened into something like iron, affirming his strength and will. He would  _not_ let those teens go back to their shitty lives. He couldn't. 

        "They are innocent!" Ben's weak voice struggled to maintain a steady flow and eventually cracked at the end of his outburst. To his dismay, King Adam didn't even bother to respond, instead staying as still and quiet as if he tried to have the same attributes as a statue, he would become one. 

        "Dad, what I saw out there," Ben drew in a deep, wavering breath, "on the battlefield wasn't at all a fluke. They were  _being_ attacked, not the ones doing the attacking!" 

        "And do you have any proof of this?" Ben cursed his slow brainpower as he shuffled the contents of his memories before he had blacked out. Suddenly, the most obvious resolution came to his mind, and he felt so stupid, so oblivious, that he wanted to smack his head against the wall. 

        "Yes. I have the Penumbra kids." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I proceeded to write this chapter, my brother's band, Scarlet Cord, was recording a special intro for their newly released song entitled 'Grandma'. They're a rock/alternative band and I knew that for his whole life, my brother wanted to be a rock star. I couldn't be more in awe of him; he's living his dream for God. SO... the song should be up on iTunes on 5/13/16. GO BUY IT BECAUSE IT'S LIT. AND THEY WORKED SO SO HARD ON IT.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally by ruff_ethereal via tumblr


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